Refrigerator

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator in which dew condensation water generated in a vegetable chamber return air passage hardly affects a defrosting heater.SOLUTION: A refrigerator 1 includes: a vegetable chamber 6; a vegetable chamber return air passage 18 that communicates a freezing evaporator chamber 8b for storing a freezing evaporator 14b for cooling the vegetable chamber 6 with the vegetable chamber 6, and flowing cool air of the vegetable chamber 6 to the freezing evaporator chamber 8b, reaching the freezing evaporator chamber 8b upward or in a horizontal direction through the inside of a heat insulation partition wall 28 from the undersurface of a heat insulation partition wall 29 forming the top face of the vegetable chamber 6; and a defrosting heater 21 the whole of which is positioned in an inner lower part of the freezing evaporator chamber 8b and above a vegetable chamber return outflow port 18b opened to the freezing evaporator chamber 8b of the vegetable chamber return air passage 18.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigerator. [Background technology]

[0002] Background art of this technical field includes, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-64256 (Patent Document 1) and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-250406 (Patent Document 2).

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a refrigerator in which the outer shell, which is the main body, is composed of an insulated box, and the internal space of this insulated box (i.e., the interior) is equipped from above with a refrigerator compartment, an ice compartment, a select compartment which allows the user to choose between refrigeration or freezing, a freezer compartment, and a vegetable compartment, and the refrigerator compartment is cooled by a first evaporator which is an evaporator for the refrigerator compartment, and the ice compartment, select compartment and freezer compartment are cooled by a second evaporator which is an evaporator for the freezer compartment, and the vegetable compartment is indirectly cooled by the cold air from the freezer compartment via a partition between the vegetable compartment and the freezer compartment (for example, Figure 3 of Patent Document 1).

[0004] In Patent Document 2, a refrigerator compartment, a freezer compartment, and a vegetable compartment are formed from the top, and a cooling A refrigerator is disclosed in which a cooler cools the refrigerator compartment and the vegetable compartment (for example, paragraph 0011 of Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-64256 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2006-250406 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The refrigerator described in Patent Document 1 cools the refrigerator compartment using an evaporator for the refrigerator compartment, and cools the ice compartment, select compartment and freezer compartment using an evaporator for the freezer compartment, and the vegetable compartment located below the freezer compartment is indirectly cooled by the cold air from the freezer compartment via a partition between it and the vegetable compartment.

[0007] When indirectly cooling the vegetable compartment, it is necessary to promote heat transfer through the partition in order to increase the cooling capacity of the vegetable compartment. Generally, in order to promote heat transfer through a partition, it is effective to increase the temperature difference between the spaces separated by the partition (the freezer compartment and the vegetable compartment). Therefore, when the load on the vegetable compartment is high due to reasons such as a high ambient temperature, storing hot food in the vegetable compartment, or food being pinched in causing a gap between the vegetable compartment door and the box, and it is necessary to sufficiently increase the cooling capacity, it is necessary to maintain the freezer compartment at an excessively low temperature, which causes problems such as a decrease in energy saving performance.

[0008] In addition, the refrigerator described in Patent Document 2 cools both the refrigerator compartment and the vegetable compartment with a cooler installed in the refrigerator compartment, and therefore requires a path to send the cold air from the refrigerator compartment to the vegetable compartment and a path to return the cold air from the vegetable compartment to the refrigerator compartment, resulting in low space efficiency, i.e., a reduced internal volume.

[0009] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a refrigerator that can exhibit high energy-saving performance regardless of the outside air temperature, and also has high space efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to solve the above problems, for example, the configuration described in the claims is adopted. The present application includes multiple means for solving the above-mentioned problems, and one example thereof is characterized by comprising a storage chamber at a refrigerated temperature range, a storage chamber that houses a cooler that cools the storage chamber and communicates the storage chamber with each other to allow cold air from the storage chamber to flow into the storage chamber, and a first air duct that runs from the underside of a first insulating partition wall that forms the upper surface of the storage chamber, passing through the inside of the first insulating partition wall and in an upward or horizontal direction to the storage chamber, and a defrost heater that is located in the lower inside of the storage chamber and entirely above the return port of the first air duct that opens into the storage chamber. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator that can exhibit high energy-saving performance regardless of the temperature of the outside air, and also has high space efficiency. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment; [Diagram 2] Cross section AA of Figure 1 [Diagram 3] Cross section B-B of Figure 2 [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a refrigeration cycle configuration of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 5] Flowchart showing control of a refrigerator according to the first embodiment [Figure 6] An example of a time chart showing control of a refrigerator according to the first embodiment [Figure 7] Mollier diagram showing the state of the refrigerant in the refrigerator according to the first embodiment [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a refrigerator of a comparative example. [Figure 9] Schematic diagram showing the configuration of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] Schematic diagram showing the configuration of a refrigerator according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. EXAMPLES

[0014] A first embodiment (embodiment 1) of the refrigerator according to the present invention will be described. First, the configuration of the refrigerator according to embodiment 1 will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 4. Fig. 1 is a front view of the refrigerator according to embodiment 1, Fig. 2 is an AA cross-sectional view of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a BB cross-sectional view of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the refrigeration cycle of the refrigerator according to embodiment 1. The box body 10 of the refrigerator 1 opens at the front, and the storage compartments are formed from the top by the refrigerator compartment 2 (first refrigerator temperature zone compartment), the ice-making compartment 3 arranged side by side on the left and right, the upper freezer compartment 4, the lower freezer compartment 5, and the vegetable compartment 6 (second refrigerator temperature zone compartment). The front opening of the refrigerator compartment 2 is opened and closed by the rotating refrigerator compartment doors 2a and 2b divided into left and right, and the front openings of the ice-making compartment 3, the upper freezer compartment 4, the lower freezer compartment 5, and the vegetable compartment 6 are opened and closed by the pull-out ice-making compartment door 3a, the upper freezer compartment door 4a, the lower freezer compartment door 5a, and the vegetable compartment door 6a, respectively. Each door is equipped with a packing (not shown) on the outer periphery of the inside of the compartment, and when the door is closed, it comes into contact with the front edge of the box 10 to suppress the flow of air inside and outside the compartment. In the following, the ice-making compartment 3, the upper freezer compartment 4, and the lower freezer compartment 5 are collectively referred to as the freezing temperature zone compartment 7.

[0015] The external dimensions of refrigerator 1 are width 685 mm, depth 738 mm, and height 1833 mm, and the rated capacity based on JIS9801-3:2015 is 308 L for the refrigerator compartment, 180 L for the freezer compartment, and 114 L for the vegetable compartment.

[0016] The freezer temperature compartment 7 is a storage compartment whose interior is basically kept in the freezer temperature range (below 0°C), for example at an average of -18°C, while the refrigerator compartment 2 and the vegetable compartment are storage compartments whose interior is kept in the refrigerated temperature range (above 0°C), for example the refrigerator compartment 2 at an average of about 4°C and the vegetable compartment at an average of about 7°C.

[0017] Door 2a is provided with an operation unit 26 for operating the temperature setting inside the refrigerator. Door hinges (not shown) are provided at the top and bottom of refrigerator compartment 2 to secure refrigerator 1 to doors 2a and 2b, and the top door hinge is covered with door hinge cover 16.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 2, the outside and inside of the refrigerator 1 are separated by a box 10 formed by filling a space between an outer box 10a and an inner box 10b with a foam insulation material (e.g., urethane foam). In addition to the foam insulation material, a plurality of vacuum insulation materials 36 are mounted on the box 10 between the steel outer box 10a and the synthetic resin inner box 10b. The refrigerator compartment 2 is separated from the upper freezer compartment 4 and the ice making compartment 3 by a heat insulating partition wall 28, and similarly, the lower freezer compartment 5 and the vegetable compartment 6 are separated by a heat insulating partition wall 29. In addition, a heat insulating partition wall 30 is provided on the front side of each of the storage compartments, the ice making compartment 3, the upper freezer compartment 4, and the lower freezer compartment 5, to prevent air from circulating between the inside and outside of the refrigerator through the gaps in the doors 3a, 4a, and 5a.

[0019] The inside of the doors 2a and 2b of the refrigerator compartment 2 is provided with a plurality of door pockets 33a, 33b, and 33c and a plurality of shelves 34a, 34b, 34c, and 34d, and is divided into a plurality of storage spaces. The freezer temperature zone compartment 7 and the vegetable compartment 6 are provided with an ice compartment container (not shown) that is pulled out integrally with the doors 3a, 4a, 5a, and 6a, respectively, an upper freezer container 4b, a lower freezer container 5b, and a vegetable compartment container 6b. The vegetable compartment container 6b is divided into two levels, an upper level and an lower level, and a bottle storage space 6c is provided at the front of the lower level in which beverage bottles can be stored. The height dimension of the bottle storage space 6c is secured to be 305 mm or more so that 1.5L or 2L beverage bottles can be stored upright (315 mm in this embodiment). In addition, the fact that beverage bottles can be stored is made known to users through text, figures, photos, and images in catalogs, instruction manuals, advertising media, etc.

[0020] A chilled room 35 that can be set lower than the temperature range of the refrigerator compartment 2 is provided above the heat-insulating partition wall 28. The user can select the set temperature of the chilled room 35 via the operation unit 26. For example, by controlling the refrigeration evaporator 14a and the refrigeration fan 9a described below, and a heater (not shown) provided within the heat-insulating partition wall 28, it is possible to switch between a mode for setting the temperature in the refrigeration temperature range, for example, about 0 to 3°C, and a mode for setting the temperature in the freezing temperature range, for example, about -3 to 0°C.

[0021] The refrigerator compartment 2 is provided with a refrigerator evaporator chamber 8a at approximately the rear thereof, and a refrigerator evaporator 14a (first evaporator) is housed in the refrigerator evaporator chamber 8a. A refrigerator fan 9a is provided above the refrigerator evaporator 14a. In addition, a refrigerator compartment air passage 11 is provided at approximately the center of the width of the rear of the refrigerator compartment 2, and a refrigerator compartment outlet 11a is provided at the top of the refrigerator compartment air passage 11 from which cold air is blown out to the refrigerator compartment 2. The refrigerator compartment return ports 15a and 15b (see FIG. 3) are provided at the lower front and upper right of the refrigerator evaporator chamber 8a for returning air sent to the refrigerator compartment 2. The air that has been cooled by heat exchange with the refrigerator evaporator 14a is sent to the refrigerator compartment 2 through the refrigerator compartment air passage 11 and the refrigerator compartment outlet 11a by driving the refrigerator fan 9a, thereby cooling the inside of the refrigerator compartment 2. The air sent to the refrigerator compartment 2 returns to the refrigerator evaporator compartment 8a through refrigerator compartment return ports 15a and 15b (see FIG. 3) which form the first return path.

[0022] A freezing evaporator chamber 8b is provided at approximately the rear of the freezing temperature zone chamber 7, and a freezing evaporator 14b (second evaporator) is housed within the freezing evaporator chamber 8b. A freezing fan 9b is provided above the freezing evaporator 14b. A freezing chamber air duct 12 is provided at the rear of the freezing temperature zone chamber 7, and the freezing chamber air duct 12 in front of the freezing fan 9b is provided with a plurality of freezing chamber discharge ports 12a. A freezing chamber return port 17 (see Figures 2 and 3) through which air sent to the freezing temperature zone chamber 7 returns is provided at the front of the lower part of the freezing chamber evaporator chamber 8b.

[0023] The vegetable compartment air duct 13 (first communication path), which serves as an air duct to the vegetable compartment 6, branches off from the lower right of the freezer compartment air duct 12 and passes through the heat-insulating partition wall 29. The vegetable compartment outlet 13a, which serves as the outlet of the vegetable compartment air duct 13, is provided so as to be approximately the same height as the lower surface of the heat-insulating partition wall 29 at the upper right back of the vegetable compartment 6, and opens downward. The vegetable compartment air duct 13 is provided with a vegetable compartment damper 19, which is a cooling control means for the vegetable compartment 6 (see FIG. 3). The vegetable compartment return inlet 18a is provided at the lower left front of the heat-insulating partition wall 29 between the vegetable compartment 6 and the freezing temperature zone compartment 7, and a flow path is formed that leads to the vegetable compartment return outlet 18b provided at the lower front of the freezing evaporator chamber 8b via the vegetable compartment return air duct 18 (second communication path) that passes through the heat-insulating partition wall 29.

[0024] The air that has been cooled by heat exchange with the freezing evaporator 14b is sent to the freezing temperature zone chamber 7 through the freezing chamber air duct 12 and the freezing chamber outlet 12a by driving the freezing fan 9b, and cools the inside of the freezing temperature zone chamber 7. The air sent to the freezing temperature zone chamber 7 returns to the freezing evaporator chamber 8b from the freezing chamber return port 17 constituting the second return path. When the vegetable chamber damper 19 is in the open state, a part of the cold air that has flowed into the freezing chamber air duct 12 flows through the vegetable chamber air duct 13, reaches the vegetable chamber 6 through the vegetable chamber outlet 13a, and cools the inside of the vegetable chamber 6. The air sent to the vegetable chamber 6 enters the vegetable chamber return air duct 18 from the vegetable chamber return inlet 18a constituting the third return path, and returns to the freezing evaporator chamber 8b from the vegetable chamber return outlet 18b.

[0025] In the refrigerator of this embodiment, the refrigeration fan 9a is a centrifugal fan (backward fan) with a blade diameter of 100 mm, and the freezing fan 9b is an axial fan (propeller fan) with a blade diameter of 110 mm. The rotation speed of the refrigerator compartment fan during normal cooling operation is 1000 min -1 The volume of air cooling the refrigerator compartment 2 is 0.3 m 3 / min or more. The rotation speed of the freezer fan 9b is about 1300 min -1 When the vegetable compartment damper 19 is open, the volume of air cooling the freezer temperature compartment 7 is about 0.6 m 3 / min, and the air volume cooling the vegetable compartment 6 is about 0.1 m 3 / min. A centrifugal fan has the characteristic of turning the air sucked in from the axial direction by 90 degrees and blowing it out in the radial direction. On the other hand, an axial fan has the characteristic of blowing the air sucked in from the axial direction in the axial direction. Therefore, a centrifugal fan is excellent in mountability in an air duct where the air sucked in in the axial direction is turned by 90 degrees, and an axial fan is excellent in mountability in an air duct where the air sucked in in the axial direction is blown out in the axial direction. Therefore, a rearward-facing fan, which is a centrifugal fan, is adopted as the refrigeration fan 9a, since the air sucked in from the front is turned by 90 degrees and blown out into the refrigerator compartment air duct 11 above, and a propeller fan, which is an axial fan, is adopted as the freezer fan 9b, since the air sucked in from the rear is blown out into the freezer compartment air duct 12 in the front, thereby making the refrigerator highly space-efficient.

[0026] A refrigerator temperature sensor 41, a freezer temperature sensor 42, and a vegetable temperature sensor 43 are provided on the interior rear side of the refrigerator compartment 2, the freezer temperature zone compartment 7, and the vegetable compartment 6, respectively, to detect the temperatures of the refrigerator compartment 2, the freezer temperature zone compartment 7, and the vegetable compartment 6. In addition, a refrigerator evaporator temperature sensor 40a is provided on the top of the refrigerator evaporator 14a, and a freezer evaporator temperature sensor 40b is provided on the top of the freezer evaporator 14b, to detect the temperatures of the refrigerator evaporator 14a and the freezer evaporator 14b. In addition, an outside air temperature and humidity sensor 37 that detects the temperature and humidity of the outside air (air outside the refrigerator) is provided inside the door hinge cover 16 on the ceiling of the refrigerator 1, and door sensors (not shown) that detect the open / closed state of the doors 2a, 2b, 3a, 4a, 5a, and 6a are provided.

[0027] As shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, the lower part of the freezing evaporator chamber 8b is provided with a defrost heater 21 for heating the freezing evaporator 14b. The defrost heater 21 is, for example, an electric heater of 50W to 200W, and in this embodiment, a radiant heater of 150W is provided. The defrost water (melted water) generated during defrosting of the freezing evaporator 14b flows down into a gutter 23b provided at the lower part of the freezing evaporator chamber 8b, and reaches a machine room 39 provided at the lower part of the rear (back side) of the refrigerator 1 via a drain outlet 22b and a freezing drain pipe 27b, and is discharged into an evaporation dish 32 above the compressor 24 installed in the machine room 39.

[0028] In addition, the defrosting method for the refrigeration evaporator 14a will be described later, but the defrost water generated when defrosting the refrigeration evaporator 14a flows down into a gutter 23a provided at the bottom of the refrigeration evaporator chamber 8a, and is discharged into an evaporator tray 32 provided at the top of the compressor 24 via a drain outlet 22a and a refrigeration drain pipe 27a.

[0029] The machine room 39 is provided with the above-mentioned compressor 24, evaporator tray 32, external radiator 50a, which is a fin-tube heat exchanger, and external fan 26. Driving the external fan 26 causes air to flow through the compressor 24, external radiator 50a, and evaporator tray 32, promoting heat radiation from the compressor 24 and external radiator 50a and improving energy saving performance, and ventilating the evaporator tray 32 promotes evaporation of defrost water accumulated in the evaporator tray 32, suppresses overflow, and improves reliability.

[0030] As shown in Fig. 3, the gutter 23a is equipped with a gutter heater 101 that melts defrost water frozen in the gutter 23a. In addition, the refrigeration drain pipe 27a is equipped with an upper drain pipe heater 102 and a lower drain pipe heater 103. Note that the gutter heater 101, the upper drain pipe heater 102, and the lower drain pipe heater 103 are all heaters with a lower capacity than the defrost heater 21, and in this embodiment, the gutter heater 101 is 6W, the upper drain pipe heater 102 is 3W, and the lower drain pipe heater 103 is 1W.

[0031] Here, when the refrigeration fan 9a is driven, the return air from the refrigeration chamber 2 flows downward toward the gutter 23a through the refrigeration chamber return port 15b provided at the upper right of the refrigeration chamber 8a, heating the gutter 23a and raising the temperature. This has the effect of reducing the amount of heat from the gutter heater 101 that melts the defrosted water frozen in the gutter 23a, thereby improving energy saving performance.

[0032] In addition, the lower part of the drain pipe 27a is closer to the outer box 10a than the freezing temperature zone chamber 7 and the freezing evaporator chamber 8b. This reduces the amount of heat required by the drain pipe lower heater 103, which melts the defrosted water frozen in the drain pipe 27a, and improves energy saving performance.

[0033] A control board 31 equipped with a CPU, which is part of the control device, memories such as ROM and RAM, an interface circuit, etc., is disposed on the ceiling of the refrigerator 1 (see FIG. 2). The control board 31 is connected to a refrigerator temperature sensor 41, a freezer temperature sensor 42, a vegetable compartment temperature sensor 43, an evaporator temperature sensor 40a, 40b, etc., and the aforementioned CPU controls the ON / OFF and rotation speed of the compressor 24, the refrigerator fan 9a, and the freezer fan 9b, the defrost heater 21, the gutter heater 101, the upper drain pipe heater 102, the lower drain pipe heater 103, and a three-way valve 52 described later, based on these output values, the settings of the operation unit 26, and programs previously recorded in the aforementioned ROM.

[0034] 4 shows the refrigeration cycle (refrigerant flow path) of the refrigerator according to Example 1. The refrigerator 1 of this embodiment includes a compressor 24, an external radiator 50a and a wall surface heat radiation pipe 50b that radiate heat from the refrigerant, a condensation suppression pipe 50c that suppresses condensation on the front edge of the heat-insulating partition walls 28, 29, and 30 (the external radiator 50a, the external radiator 50b, and the condensation suppression pipe 50c are called heat radiation means), a three-way valve 52 that is a refrigerant flow control means, a refrigeration capillary tube 53a and a freezing capillary tube 53b that are pressure reducing means for reducing the pressure of the refrigerant, a refrigeration evaporator 14a that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and the air inside the refrigerator and absorbs heat inside the refrigerator, and a freezing evaporator 14b. Further, upstream of the three-way valve 52, a dryer 51 for removing moisture in the refrigeration cycle is provided, and downstream of the refrigeration evaporator 14a and downstream of the refrigeration evaporator 14b, gas-liquid separators 54a and 54b for preventing liquid refrigerant from flowing into the compressor 24 are provided, respectively. Furthermore, downstream of the gas-liquid separator 54b, a check valve 56 is provided. The refrigeration cycle is formed by connecting these components with refrigerant piping. The refrigerator in this embodiment uses isobutane, a flammable refrigerant, as the refrigerant, and the amount of refrigerant charged is 88g.

[0035] The three-way valve 52 has an outlet 52a and an outlet 52b, and is a refrigerant flow control valve that has state 1 (refrigeration mode) in which outlet 52a is open and outlet 52b is closed, allowing refrigerant to flow toward the refrigeration capillary tube 53a, state 2 (freezing mode) in which outlet 52a is closed and outlet 52b is open, allowing refrigerant to flow toward the freezing capillary tube 53b, and state 3 (fully closed mode) in which both outlets 52a and 52b are closed.

[0036] When the three-way valve 52 is controlled to state 1 (refrigeration mode), the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 24 flows through the external radiator 50a, the external radiator 50b, and the condensation suppression pipe 50c to radiate heat, and reaches the three-way valve 52 via the dryer 51. Since the three-way valve 52 is in state 1 (outlet 52a is open, and outlet 52b is closed), the refrigerant then flows through the refrigeration capillary tube 53a, is decompressed, reaches the refrigeration evaporator 14a, and exchanges heat with the return air of the refrigeration compartment 2. The refrigerant that has left the refrigeration evaporator 14a passes through the gas-liquid separator 54a, flows through the contact portion 57a ​​with the capillary tube 53a, and exchanges heat with the refrigerant flowing in the capillary tube 53a before returning to the compressor 24.

[0037] When the three-way valve 52 is controlled to state 2 (freezing mode), the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 24 flows through the external radiator 50a, the external radiator 50b, and the condensation suppression pipe 50c to radiate heat, and reaches the three-way valve 52 via the dryer 51. Since the three-way valve 52 is in state 2 (outlet 52a is closed, and outlet 52b is open), the refrigerant then flows through the freezing capillary tube 53b, where it is decompressed and cooled, and exchanges heat with the return air of the freezing temperature zone compartment 7 and the return air of the vegetable compartment 6 (when the vegetable compartment damper 19 is open) in the freezing evaporator 14b. The refrigerant that has left the freezing evaporator 14b passes through the gas-liquid separator 54b, flows through the contact portion 57b with the capillary tube 53b, and exchanges heat with the refrigerant flowing in the capillary tube 53b, before returning to the compressor 24.

[0038] When the three-way valve 52 is controlled to state 3 (fully closed mode), when the compressor 24 is driven, no refrigerant is supplied from the refrigeration capillary tube 53a or the freezing capillary tube 53b, so that the refrigerant in the refrigeration evaporator 14a or the refrigeration evaporator 14b is recovered to the heat dissipation means side (details will be described later).

[0039] The refrigerator of this embodiment performs a "refrigeration operation" in which the refrigerator compartment 2 is cooled by controlling the three-way valve 52 to state 1 (refrigeration mode), driving the compressor 24, driving the refrigeration fan 9a, and stopping the freezing fan 9b, and a "freezing operation" in which the freezing temperature compartment 7 and the vegetable compartment 6 are cooled by controlling the three-way valve 52 to state 2 (freezing mode), driving the compressor 24, opening the vegetable compartment damper 19, driving or stopping the refrigeration fan 9a, and driving the freezing fan 9b. "vegetable operation", "freezing operation" in which the three-way valve 52 is controlled to state 2 (freezing mode), the compressor 24 is driven, the vegetable compartment damper 19 is closed, the refrigeration fan 9a is driven or stopped, and the freezing fan 9b is driven to cool the freezing temperature zone compartment 7, "refrigerant recovery operation" in which the three-way valve 52 is controlled to state 3 (fully closed mode), the compressor 24 is driven, and the refrigerant in the refrigeration evaporator 14a or the refrigerant in the freezing evaporator 14b is recovered to the heat dissipation means side, "Operation stop" in which the three-way valve 52 is set to state 3 (fully closed mode) and the compressor 24 is stopped, the refrigeration fan 9a is stopped, and the freezing fan 9b is stopped; "operation stop" in which the three-way valve 52 is controlled to state 2 (freezing mode) and the compressor 24 is driven; or "operation stop" in which the three-way valve 52 is controlled to state 3 (fully closed mode) and the compressor 24 is controlled to a stopped state, so that no refrigerant flows through the refrigeration evaporator 14a and the refrigeration fan is driven, and frost that has grown on the surface of the refrigeration evaporator 14a and the evaporator itself is removed. By appropriately performing each of the operations, "refrigeration evaporator defrosting operation" which cools the refrigerator compartment 2 using the cold heat stored in the body while defrosting the refrigerator evaporator 14a, and "freezing evaporator defrosting operation" which defrosts the freezing evaporator 14b by setting the three-way valve 52 to state 3 (fully closed mode) to stop the compressor 24, driving or stopping the refrigerator fan 9a, stopping the freezing fan 9b, and energizing the defrost heater 21, each storage compartment within the refrigerator 1 is cooled satisfactorily.

[0040] The configuration of the refrigerator according to this embodiment has been described above, and next, the control of the refrigerator according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5 and Fig. 6. Fig. 5 is a flow chart showing the control of the refrigerator according to this embodiment, and Fig. 6 is a time chart showing the control of the refrigerator according to this embodiment.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 5, when the power is turned on (start), the refrigerator of this embodiment sets the three-way valve 52 to state 1 (refrigeration mode) and drives the compressor 24 at low speed (800 min -1 ), the refrigerator fan 9a is driven, the freezer fan 9b is stopped, and the vegetable compartment damper 19 is closed to start the refrigerator operation (step S101). Then, it is determined whether or not the refrigerator operation end condition is satisfied (step S102), and the refrigerator operation continues until step S102 is satisfied. In the refrigerator of this embodiment, the refrigerator compartment temperature T R The refrigeration operation end temperature T Roff Below (T R ≦T Roff ), step S102 is established. If step S102 is established (Yes), the compressor 24 is driven at low speed (continue), the three-way valve 52 is set to state 3 (fully closed mode), and a refrigerant recovery operation is performed to recover the refrigerant in the refrigeration evaporator 14a to the heat dissipation means side (step S103). At this time, the refrigeration fan 9a continues to drive, and the refrigerator compartment 2 is cooled even during the refrigerant recovery operation. The refrigerant recovery operation is performed for a predetermined time (2 minutes in the refrigerator of this embodiment) (step S104), and then the three-way valve is set to state 2 (freezing mode), the compressor 24 is driven at high speed (1400 min-1), the refrigeration fan 9a is driven (continue), the freezing fan 9b is driven, the vegetable compartment damper 19 is opened, and a frozen vegetable operation and a refrigeration evaporator defrost operation are performed (step S105).

[0042] Next, it is determined whether or not the vegetable compartment damper closing condition is satisfied (step S106). In the refrigerator of this embodiment, the vegetable compartment temperature T V The temperature at which the vegetable compartment damper closes is T Voff Below (T V ≦T Voff) is satisfied, step S106 is satisfied. If step S106 is not satisfied (No), it is then determined whether or not the refrigeration evaporator defrosting operation end condition is satisfied (step S107). If step S106 is satisfied (Yes), the vegetable compartment damper 19 is closed (step S201), the refrigerator is switched to freezing operation, and the determination of step S107 is performed. In the refrigerator of this embodiment, the refrigeration evaporator temperature T Revp is the temperature T at which the defrosting operation of the refrigeration evaporator ends. RDoff That's all (T Revp ≧T RDoff ), step S107 is established. If step S107 is not established (No), it is then determined whether or not the freezing operation end condition is established (step S108). If step S107 is established (Yes), the refrigeration fan 9a is stopped (step S202), and after the refrigeration evaporator defrosting operation is completed, the process proceeds to the determination of step S108. In the refrigerator of this embodiment, when the vegetable compartment damper 19 is closed and the freezer compartment temperature T F is the freezing operation end temperature T Foff Below (T F ≧T Foff ), step S108 is satisfied. If step S108 is not satisfied (No), the process returns to the judgment in step S106. If step S108 is satisfied (Yes), the compressor 24 is driven at high speed (continues), the three-way valve 52 is set to state 3 (fully closed mode), and a refrigerant recovery operation is performed to recover the refrigerant in the refrigeration evaporator 14b to the heat dissipation means side (step S109). At this time, the refrigeration fan 9b continues to drive, and the refrigeration temperature zone chamber 7 is cooled even during the refrigerant recovery operation.

[0043] The refrigerant recovery operation is performed for a predetermined time (1.5 minutes in the refrigerator of this embodiment) (step S110), and then it is determined whether or not the refrigeration operation start condition is satisfied (step S111). R is the refrigeration start temperature T Ron That's all (T R ≧T Ron), step S111 is established. If step S111 is established (Yes), the process returns to step S101 and refrigeration operation is performed. If step S111 is not established (No), the compressor 24 is stopped, the refrigeration fan 9b is stopped (step S112), and the process proceeds to determining whether or not a refrigeration evaporator defrost operation end condition exists (step S113). The refrigeration evaporator defrost operation end condition exists when the refrigeration evaporator temperature T Revp is the temperature T at which the defrosting operation of the refrigeration evaporator ends. RDoff That's all (T Revp ≧T RDoff ) (the same condition as in step S107). If step S113 is not satisfied (No), it is then determined whether or not the refrigeration operation start condition is satisfied (step S114). If step S113 is satisfied (Yes), the refrigeration fan 9a is stopped (step S203), and after the refrigeration evaporator defrosting operation is completed, the process proceeds to the determination in step S114. Step S114 is performed when the refrigeration compartment temperature T R is the refrigeration start temperature T Ron That's all (T R ≧T Ron ) is satisfied (the same condition as in step S111). If step S114 is not satisfied (No), the process returns to the determination in step S113, and if step S114 is satisfied, the process returns to step S101 and refrigeration operation is performed.

[0044] FIG. 6 is a time chart showing the operating state of the refrigerator according to this embodiment when it is installed at 32° C. and a relative humidity of 70%. 0 is the time when the refrigeration operation for cooling the refrigerator compartment 2 is started (step S101 in FIG. 5). In the refrigeration operation, the three-way valve 52 is controlled to state 1 (refrigeration mode), and the compressor 24 is operated at a low speed (800 min -1) to make the refrigerant flow through the refrigerating evaporator 14a, lowering the temperature of the refrigerating evaporator 14a. In this state, the refrigerating fan 9a is operated to cool the refrigerating compartment 2 with the air that has passed through the refrigerating evaporator 14a and has become cold. Here, the temperature of the refrigerating evaporator 14a during refrigeration operation is set higher than the temperature of the freezing evaporator 14b during freezing operation, which will be described later. In general, the higher the evaporator temperature (evaporation temperature), the higher the refrigeration cycle performance coefficient (the ratio of the amount of heat absorbed to the input of the compressor 24) and the higher the energy-saving performance. In order to maintain the freezing temperature zone compartment 7 at the freezing temperature, the temperature of the freezing evaporator 14b needs to be set low, but since the refrigerating compartment 2 only needs to be maintained at the refrigeration temperature, the temperature of the refrigerating evaporator 14a is raised to improve the energy-saving performance. In the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment, the rotation speed of the compressor 24 during refrigeration operation is set lower (800 min) than during freezing operation so that the temperature of the refrigerating evaporator 14a during refrigeration operation is higher. -1 ) is used.

[0045] The refrigerator compartment 2 is cooled by the refrigeration operation, and at time t 1 The refrigerator temperature T detected by the refrigerator temperature sensor 42 R is the end temperature of refrigeration operation T Roff When the temperature drops to 800 min, the operation is switched from refrigeration to refrigerant recovery (step S102 in FIG. 5). In the refrigerant recovery operation, the three-way valve 52 is controlled to state 3 (fully closed mode), and the compressor 24 is driven at a low speed (800 min -1 ) to recover the refrigerant in the refrigeration evaporator 14a for two minutes (steps S103 and S104 in FIG. 5). This makes it possible to suppress a decrease in cooling efficiency due to a shortage of refrigerant in the next frozen vegetable operation and freezing operation. At this time, the refrigeration fan 9a is driven to utilize the remaining refrigerant in the refrigeration evaporator 14a for cooling the refrigerator compartment 2, and the pressure drop in the refrigeration evaporator 14a is mitigated by heating with the air in the refrigerator compartment 2. This suppresses an increase in the specific volume of the refrigerant sucked into the compressor 24, making it possible to recover a large amount of refrigerant in a relatively short time, thereby improving the cooling efficiency.

[0046] When the refrigerant recovery operation ends (time t 2), and then the operation is switched to the frozen vegetable operation for cooling the freezing temperature zone compartment 7 (step S105 in FIG. 5). In the frozen vegetable operation, the three-way valve 52 is controlled to state 2 (freezing mode), and the compressor 24 is driven at a high speed (1400 min -1 ), refrigerant flows through the freezing evaporator 14b, lowering the temperature of the freezing evaporator 14b. In this state, the vegetable compartment damper 19 is opened and the freezing fan 9b is operated, so that the air that has passed through the freezing evaporator 14b and has become cold cools the freezing temperature zone compartment 7 and the vegetable compartment 6. At this time, the operation of the refrigeration fan 9a is continued, so that the refrigeration evaporator defrosting operation is performed. As a result, the temperature of the refrigeration evaporator 14a rises, and the rise in temperature in the refrigerator compartment 2 is mitigated by the cooling effect of the frost and the cold heat stored in the refrigeration evaporator.

[0047] time t 3 The temperature T of the vegetable compartment detected by the vegetable compartment temperature sensor 43 V is the vegetable compartment damper closing temperature T Voff When this occurs, the vegetable compartment damper 19 is closed (steps S106 and S201 in FIG. 5) and the system transitions to freezing operation.

[0048] Next, at time t 4 The temperature T of the refrigeration evaporator 14a detected by the refrigeration evaporator temperature sensor 40a Revp is the temperature T at which the defrosting operation of the refrigeration evaporator ends. RDoff When this occurs, the refrigeration fan 9a is stopped and the refrigeration evaporator defrosting operation is terminated (steps S107 and S202 in FIG. 5).

[0049] time t 5 The freezer temperature T detected by the freezer temperature sensor 41 F is the freezing operation end temperature T Foff Since the temperature reaches 100° C. and the vegetable compartment damper 19 is closed, the freezing operation is terminated (step S108 in FIG. 5), the three-way valve 52 is controlled to state 3 (fully closed mode), and the compressor 24 is driven at high speed (1400 min -1) to recover the refrigerant in the freezing evaporator 14b for 1.5 minutes (steps S109 and S110 in FIG. 5). This makes it possible to suppress a decrease in cooling efficiency due to a shortage of refrigerant in the next refrigeration operation. At this time, the freezing fan 9b is driven to utilize the remaining refrigerant in the freezing evaporator 14b for cooling the freezing temperature zone compartment 7, and the pressure drop in the freezing evaporator 14b is mitigated by heating with the air in the freezing temperature zone compartment 7. This suppresses an increase in the specific volume of the refrigerant sucked into the compressor 24, making it possible to recover a large amount of refrigerant in a relatively short time, thereby improving the cooling efficiency.

[0050] Time t when refrigerant recovery operation ends 6 In this case, the refrigerator temperature T R is the refrigeration start temperature T Ron Since the above has been reached, the refrigeration operation start condition is met (step S111 in FIG. 7), and the refrigeration operation is started again (step S101 in FIG. 7).

[0051] The configuration and control method of the refrigerator of this embodiment have been explained above. Next, the effects achieved by the refrigerator of this embodiment will be explained.

[0052] The refrigerator of this embodiment is provided with a refrigerator compartment 2 (first refrigerator temperature zone compartment), a freezer temperature zone compartment 7, and a vegetable compartment 6 (second refrigerator temperature zone compartment) from above, a refrigerator evaporator 14a (first evaporator) and a refrigerator fan 9a at the back of the refrigerator compartment 2, and a freezer evaporator 14b (second evaporator) and a freezer fan 9b at the back of the freezer compartment. The refrigerator compartment 2 is cooled by blowing air that has exchanged heat with the refrigerator evaporator 14a by driving the refrigerator fan 9a, and the freezer temperature zone compartment 7 and the vegetable compartment 6 are cooled by blowing air that has exchanged heat with the freezer evaporator 14b by driving the freezer fan 9b. This makes it possible to provide a refrigerator that can achieve high energy saving performance and also has high space efficiency. The reason for this will be explained below with reference to Figs. 7 and 8.

[0053] FIG. 7 is a Mollier diagram showing the relationship between the evaporator temperature and the coefficient of performance in the refrigerator of this embodiment, and FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a refrigerator showing a comparative example.

[0054] First, the refrigerant state of the refrigeration cycle in the refrigerator of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 4 and 7. In the refrigerator of this embodiment, in refrigeration operation, the low-pressure refrigerant (state R1) at the inlet of the compressor 24 is compressed by the compressor 24 and discharged in a high-pressure state R2. Thereafter, the specific enthalpy decreases due to heat radiation from the housing of the compressor 24 and heat radiation in the external radiator 50a, the external radiator 50b, and the condensation suppression piping 50c, which are heat radiation means, and the refrigeration state becomes R3 (liquid state). In refrigeration operation, the three-way valve is in state 1 (refrigeration mode), so the refrigeration state becomes low-pressure while flowing through the refrigeration capillary tube 53a, and flows into the refrigeration evaporator 14a in a low-temperature, low-pressure state R4. In the refrigeration evaporator 14a, the specific enthalpy increases due to heat exchange with the return air from the refrigerator compartment 2, and the refrigeration state becomes R5 (gas state) at the outlet of the refrigeration evaporator 14a. The refrigerant flowing out of the refrigeration evaporator 14a exchanges heat with the refrigerant flowing through the refrigeration capillary tube 53a, and the specific enthalpy increases, leading to the inlet (state R1) of the compressor 24. The amount of heat absorbed by the refrigeration evaporator 14a during refrigeration operation is Q1, the compressor power during refrigeration operation is W1, and the refrigeration cycle performance coefficient COP1 during refrigeration operation is COP1=Q1 / W1.

[0055] In addition, in the freezing operation or frozen vegetable operation for cooling the freezing temperature zone compartment 7, the low-pressure refrigerant (state F1) at the inlet of the compressor 24 is compressed by the compressor 24 and discharged in a high-pressure state F2. Thereafter, the specific enthalpy decreases due to heat radiation from the housing of the compressor 24 and heat radiation from the external radiator 50a, the external radiator 50b, and the condensation suppression piping 50c, which are heat radiation means, and the refrigerant becomes a state F3 (liquid state). In the freezing operation or frozen vegetable operation, the three-way valve is in state 2 (freezing mode), so the refrigerant then flows through the freezing capillary tube 53b, is decompressed, and becomes a low-temperature, low-pressure state F4, and flows into the freezing evaporator 14b. In the freezing evaporator 14b, the refrigerant exchanges heat with the return air from the freezing temperature zone compartment 7 or the vegetable compartment 6, and the specific enthalpy increases, and the refrigerant becomes a state F5 (gas state) at the outlet of the freezing evaporator 14b. The refrigerant flows from the freezing evaporator 14b, The leaked refrigerant exchanges heat with the refrigerant flowing through the refrigeration capillary tube 53b, increasing the specific enthalpy, and reaches the inlet (state F1) of the compressor 24. If the amount of heat absorbed by the refrigeration evaporator 14b in freezing operation or frozen vegetable operation is Q2, and the compressor power in freezing operation or frozen vegetable operation is W2, the refrigeration cycle coefficient of performance COP2 during freezing operation is COP2=Q2 / W2.

[0056] At this time, when comparing the temperature (evaporation temperature) of the refrigeration evaporator 14a in refrigeration operation for cooling the refrigerator compartment 2 with the temperature (evaporation temperature) of the refrigeration evaporator 14b in freezing operation or frozen vegetable operation for cooling the freezing temperature zone compartment 7, the temperature of the refrigeration evaporator 14a in refrigeration operation is set to be higher. This is realized by separating the circulation path of the air flowing through the refrigerator compartment 2 maintained in the refrigeration temperature zone from the circulation path of the air flowing through the freezing temperature zone compartment 7 maintained in the low-temperature freezing temperature zone, thereby preventing the air in the low-temperature freezing temperature zone compartment 7 from returning to the refrigeration evaporator 14a. In this way, by increasing the temperature of the refrigeration evaporator 14a, the refrigeration cycle coefficient of performance is improved, resulting in a refrigerator with high energy-saving performance.

[0057] Figures 8(a) and (b) show refrigerators of comparative examples, both of which are equipped from above with a refrigerator compartment 2 (first refrigerator temperature zone compartment), a freezer temperature zone compartment 7, and a vegetable compartment 6 (second refrigerator temperature zone compartment), with separate air circulation paths flowing through the refrigerator compartment 2 which is maintained at the refrigerator temperature zone and air circulation paths flowing through the freezer temperature zone compartment 7 which is maintained at the low freezer temperature zone, and are equipped with a refrigerator evaporator 14a (first evaporator) and a refrigerator fan 9a at the back of the refrigerator compartment 2, and a freezer evaporator 14b (second evaporator) and a freezer fan 9b at the back of the freezer compartment.

[0058] FIG. 8(a) adopts the configuration of the refrigerator described in Patent Document 1, in which air that has exchanged heat with the refrigeration evaporator 14a is blown by driving the refrigeration fan 9a to cool the refrigeration compartment 2, and air that has exchanged heat with the freezing evaporator 14b is blown by driving the freezing fan 9b to cool the freezing temperature compartment 7. The vegetable compartment 6 is indirectly cooled by the cold air in the freezing temperature compartment 7 through the heat-insulating partition wall 29. In general, the amount of heat transfer through the partition wall is proportional to the temperature difference, so when it is necessary to increase the amount of heat transfer and increase the cooling capacity of the vegetable compartment 6, it is effective to control so as to increase the temperature difference. Therefore, when the outside air temperature is high, when high-temperature food is stored in the vegetable compartment, or when the load on the vegetable compartment is high due to a gap between the vegetable compartment door and the box body caused by food or the like being sandwiched, and the cooling capacity needs to be sufficiently increased, it is necessary to maintain the freezer at an excessively low temperature, which causes a problem of reduced energy-saving performance. It is also possible to reduce the insulation performance of the partition wall to suit conditions where the load on the vegetable compartment is high; however, in this case, when the outside temperature is low and the load is small, the vegetable compartment 6 may become excessively cooled and the vegetables may freeze, which may result in the need to heat the compartment with an electric heater (temperature compensation), thereby reducing energy-saving performance.

[0059] FIG. 8(b) shows a refrigerator having the configuration described in Patent Document 2, in which air that has exchanged heat with the refrigeration evaporator 14a is blown by driving the refrigeration fan 9a to cool the refrigerator compartment 2 and the vegetable compartment 6, and air that has exchanged heat with the freezing evaporator 14b is blown by driving the freezing fan 9b to cool the freezing temperature zone compartment 7. In this configuration, the vegetable compartment air duct 13, which blows the air sent out by the refrigeration fan 9a to the vegetable compartment 6, and the vegetable compartment return air duct 18, which returns the air that has cooled the vegetable compartment 6 to the refrigeration evaporator chamber 8a, pass through the low-temperature freezer compartment 2 or the freezing evaporator chamber 8b. Since the temperature of the air flowing through the vegetable compartment air duct 13 and the vegetable compartment return air duct 18 is relatively high, the absolute humidity is likely to be high, and frost is likely to grow in the vegetable compartment air duct 13 and the vegetable compartment return air duct 18. In order to prevent the air passages from being blocked by frost, it is necessary to provide an insulating wall (insulating material) between the vegetable compartment air duct 13 and the vegetable compartment return air duct 18 and the freezer compartment 2 or the freezer evaporator chamber 8b, so as to prevent the temperature of the inner surfaces of the vegetable compartment air duct 13 and the vegetable compartment return air duct 18 from dropping too much. This requires space for the air passages and space for the insulating wall (insulating material), which entails the reduction of the freezer compartment 2 or the freezer evaporator chamber 8b. When the freezer compartment 2 is reduced, the effective internal volume is reduced, which reduces the space efficiency, and when the freezer evaporator chamber 8b is reduced, which entails the reduction of the stored freezer evaporator 14b, which leads to a reduction in energy saving performance due to a reduction in heat exchange performance.

[0060] On the other hand, in the refrigerator of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the air that has exchanged heat with the refrigeration evaporator 14a is blown by driving the refrigeration fan 9a to cool the refrigerator compartment 2, and the air that has exchanged heat with the freezing evaporator 14b is blown by driving the freezing fan 9b to cool the freezing temperature zone compartment 7 and the vegetable compartment 6. As a result, the cooling capacity of the refrigerator compartment 2 can be controlled by the refrigeration fan 9a, and the cooling capacity of the freezing temperature zone compartment 7 and the vegetable compartment 6 can be controlled by the freezing fan 9b, so that the refrigerator compartment 2, the freezing temperature zone compartment 7 and the vegetable compartment 6 can be efficiently cooled regardless of the load on the vegetable compartment, resulting in a refrigerator with high energy-saving performance. In addition, the air flowing through the storage compartment of the refrigeration temperature zone does not pass through the freezing compartment 2 or the freezing evaporator chamber 8b, resulting in high space efficiency. In other words, the refrigerator has high energy-saving performance and high space efficiency.

[0061] In the refrigerator of this embodiment, the vegetable compartment air duct 13 is provided so as to pass through the heat-insulating partition wall 29. This allows the vegetable compartment 6 to communicate with either the freezing evaporator chamber 8b, the freezer compartment air duct 12, the freezing temperature zone chamber 7 or the freezer compartment return port 17. As a result, the length of the air duct can be kept short, the space efficiency can be improved, and the air duct resistance can be kept low, resulting in a refrigerator with high air duct efficiency and excellent energy saving performance.

[0062] In the refrigerator of this embodiment, the vegetable compartment return air duct 18 is provided so as to flow inside the heat-insulating partition wall 29. This eliminates the need to use a separate heat-insulating member as heat-insulating means for suppressing the relatively high-temperature return cold air from the refrigerated temperature zone vegetable compartment 6 from affecting the freezer temperature zone compartment 7, resulting in a refrigerator with excellent space efficiency. In the refrigerator of this embodiment, the height position of the opening (vegetable compartment outlet 13a) at the lower end of the vegetable compartment air duct 13 is approximately aligned with the height position of the heat-insulating partition wall 29, and cooling air is blown out from above the vegetable compartment 6 (see FIG. 3). When low-temperature cold air that has exchanged heat with the freezing evaporator 14b is guided into the vegetable compartment 6 (for example, the rear side), the surface of the air duct on the vegetable compartment 6 side becomes cold and condensation is likely to occur, so it is necessary to provide a heat-insulating wall (heat-insulating member) between the vegetable compartment 6 and the air duct. In addition, since low-temperature air has a high density and therefore tends to flow downward, supplying low-temperature air to the upper space is effective in improving cooling efficiency. In the refrigerator of this embodiment, the height position of the opening (vegetable compartment outlet 13a) at the lower end of the vegetable compartment air duct 13 is approximately the same as the height position of the insulating partition wall 29, so that the insulating wall near the lower end of the vegetable compartment air duct 13 also serves as the insulating partition wall 29, and the length of the air duct is kept short, thereby suppressing the decrease in space efficiency caused by providing an insulating wall (insulating member) or air duct within the vegetable compartment 6, while blowing out cooled air from above the vegetable compartment 6, thereby increasing the cooling efficiency of the vegetable compartment 6.

[0063] The refrigerator of this embodiment is equipped with a vegetable compartment temperature sensor 43 that detects the temperature of the vegetable compartment 6, and is equipped with a vegetable compartment damper 19 in the vegetable compartment air duct 13. This allows the vegetable compartment damper 19 to be opened and closed to control the airflow to the vegetable compartment depending on whether the vegetable compartment is being cooled too much or too little, resulting in a refrigerator with high cooling efficiency and excellent energy saving properties.

[0064] In the refrigerator of this embodiment, the vegetable compartment damper 19 is provided near the lower end of the vegetable compartment air duct 13. For example, if the vegetable compartment damper 19 is provided near the upper end of the vegetable compartment air duct 13 (inside the freezer compartment 6), the air downstream of the vegetable compartment damper 19 (the vegetable compartment 6 side) may be cooled by the freezer compartment 6 and become low temperature even when the vegetable compartment damper 19 is closed, forming a downward flow. If low-temperature air is supplied to the vegetable compartment 6 even when the vegetable compartment damper 19 is closed, the temperature of the vegetable compartment 6 may drop too much, especially when the load on the vegetable compartment 6 is small. Therefore, in the refrigerator of this embodiment, by providing the vegetable compartment damper 19 near the lower end of the vegetable compartment air duct 13, low-temperature air flows from the vegetable compartment air duct 13 into the vegetable compartment 6 even when the vegetable compartment damper 19 is closed, and the vegetable compartment 6 can be prevented from becoming too cold, so that the vegetable compartment 6 can be cooled efficiently.

[0065] The refrigerator of this embodiment is provided with a bottle storage space 6c for storing beverage bottles in the vegetable compartment 6, and cold air from the low-temperature freezer compartment 6 is supplied to the vegetable compartment 6. This allows the beverage bottles to be cooled efficiently. EXAMPLES

[0066] A second embodiment of the refrigerator according to the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Note that a description of the same configuration as in the first embodiment will be omitted. Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the refrigerator of this embodiment.

[0067] As shown in FIG. 9, the refrigerator of this embodiment has storage compartments in the order of the refrigerator compartment 2 (first refrigerator temperature zone compartment), the freezer temperature zone compartment 7, and the vegetable compartment 6 (second refrigerator temperature zone compartment) from the top. The refrigerator evaporator compartment 8a is provided at the rear of the refrigerator compartment 2, and the refrigerator evaporator 14a (first evaporator) is housed in the refrigerator evaporator compartment 8a. The refrigerator fan 9a is provided above the refrigerator evaporator 14a. The air that has been cooled by heat exchange with the refrigerator evaporator 14a is sent to the refrigerator compartment 2 through the refrigerator compartment air passage 11 and the refrigerator compartment outlet 11a by driving the refrigerator fan 9a, and cools the inside of the refrigerator compartment 2. The air sent to the refrigerator compartment 2 returns to the refrigerator evaporator compartment 8a from the refrigerator compartment return port 15a.

[0068] A freezing evaporator chamber 8b is provided at the rear of the freezing temperature zone chamber 7, and a freezing evaporator 14b (second evaporator) is housed in the freezing evaporator chamber 8b. A freezing fan 9b is provided above the freezing evaporator 14b. A freezing damper 20, which is a means for controlling the amount of air sent to the freezing temperature zone chamber 7, is provided downstream of the freezing fan 9b. A vegetable compartment air duct 13, which serves as an air duct to the vegetable compartment 6, is formed by branching off from the freezing compartment air duct 12 and reaches the vegetable compartment outlet 13a at the upper right of the rear of the vegetable compartment. A vegetable compartment damper 19, which is a means for controlling the amount of air sent to the vegetable compartment 6, is provided in the vegetable compartment air duct 13. In this way, the air duct downstream of the freezing fan 9b branches into the freezing compartment air duct 12 toward the freezing compartment damper 20 and the vegetable compartment air duct 13 toward the vegetable compartment damper 19. A vegetable compartment return inlet 18a is provided in the insulated partition wall 29 between the vegetable compartment 6 and the freezing temperature zone compartment 7, and a flow path is formed for air to return to the lower part of the freezing evaporator chamber 8b via the vegetable compartment return air duct 18.

[0069] When the freezer damper 20 is open, the air that has been cooled by heat exchange with the freezer evaporator 14b is sent to the freezer temperature zone chamber 7 via the freezer air duct 12 and the freezer outlet 12a by driving the freezer fan 9b, thereby cooling the inside of the freezer temperature zone chamber 7. The air sent to the freezer temperature zone chamber 7 returns to the freezer evaporator chamber 8b from the freezer return outlet 17. When the vegetable damper 19 is open, a part of the cold air that has flowed into the freezer air duct 12 flows through the vegetable air duct 13 and is sent to the vegetable chamber 6 via the vegetable outlet 13a, thereby cooling the inside of the vegetable chamber 6. The air sent to the vegetable chamber 6 enters the vegetable chamber return air duct 18 from the vegetable chamber return inlet 18a and returns to the freezer evaporator chamber 8b from the vegetable chamber return outlet 18b.

[0070] As described above, the refrigerator of this embodiment comprises, from above, a refrigerator compartment 2 (first refrigeration temperature zone compartment), a freezer temperature zone compartment 7, and a vegetable compartment 6 (second refrigeration temperature zone compartment), a refrigerator evaporator 14a (first evaporator) and a refrigerator fan 9a at the back of the refrigerator compartment 2, and a freezer evaporator 14b (second evaporator) and a freezer fan 9b at the back of the freezer compartment, and air that has exchanged heat with the refrigeration evaporator 14a is blown in by driving the refrigerator fan 9a to cool the refrigerator compartment 2, and air that has exchanged heat with the freezer evaporator 14b is blown in by driving the freezer fan 9b to the freezer temperature zone compartment 7 when the freezer damper 20 is open, and when the vegetable compartment damper 19 is open, it can be blown in by driving the freezer fan 9b to the vegetable compartment 6 to cool it. Furthermore, when both the freezer damper 20 and the vegetable damper 19 are open, the freezer fan 9b can be driven to blow air into both the freezer temperature zone compartment 7 and the vegetable compartment 6 for cooling. As a result, when the load on either the freezer temperature zone compartment 7 or the vegetable compartment 6 is high and the other is sufficiently cooled, for example because high-temperature food is stored only in the freezer temperature zone compartment 7 or only in the vegetable compartment 6, only the damper provided in the air passage toward the storage compartment with the higher load, either the freezer damper 20 or the vegetable damper 19, can be opened to perform cooling. This makes it possible to prevent the storage compartment that is sufficiently cooled from being excessively cooled, resulting in a refrigerator with high energy-saving performance. EXAMPLES

[0071] A third embodiment of the refrigerator according to the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Note that a description of the same configuration as in the first or second embodiment will be omitted. Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the refrigerator of this embodiment.

[0072] As shown in Fig. 10, the refrigerator of this embodiment is provided with a freezing evaporator chamber 8b at the rear of the freezing temperature zone chamber 7, and a freezing evaporator 14b (second evaporator) is housed in the freezing evaporator chamber 8b. A freezing fan 9b is provided above the freezing evaporator 14b. Air that has been cooled by heat exchange with the freezing evaporator 14b is sent to the freezing temperature zone chamber 7 through the freezing chamber air passage 12 and the freezing chamber outlet 12a by driving the freezing fan 9b, thereby cooling the inside of the freezing temperature zone chamber 7. The air sent to the freezing temperature zone chamber 7 returns to the freezing evaporator chamber 8b from the freezing chamber return port 17.

[0073] Additionally, the heat-insulating partition wall 29 is provided with an air duct 25 (communication path) that connects the freezer temperature zone compartment 7 and the vegetable compartment 6. A vegetable compartment damper 19, which is a cooling control means for the vegetable compartment 6, is provided within the air duct 25. When the vegetable compartment damper 19 is in an open state, low-temperature cold air from the freezer compartment flows into the vegetable compartment 6 via the air duct 25 by convection, cooling the vegetable compartment 6. When the vegetable compartment damper 19 is in a closed state, convection via the air duct 25 is suppressed, and therefore cooling of the vegetable compartment 6 is suppressed.

[0074] As described above, the refrigerator of this embodiment comprises, from above, a refrigerator compartment 2 (first refrigeration temperature zone compartment), a freezer temperature zone compartment 7, and a vegetable compartment 6 (second refrigeration temperature zone compartment), and is provided with a refrigeration evaporator 14a (first evaporator) and a refrigeration fan 9a at the back of the refrigerator compartment 2, and a freezer evaporator 14b (second evaporator) and a freezer fan 9b at the back of the freezer compartment, so that air that has exchanged heat with the refrigeration evaporator 14a is blown in by driving the refrigeration fan 9a to cool the refrigerator compartment 2, and air that has exchanged heat with the freezer evaporator 14b is blown in by driving the freezer fan 9b to cool the freezer temperature zone compartment 7, and the vegetable compartment 6 is cooled by convection via an air duct 25 that connects the freezer temperature zone compartment 7 and the vegetable compartment 6. The movement of air through air duct 25 is mainly due to convection (natural convection) caused by the density difference between the low temperature air in freezer temperature compartment 7 and the high temperature air in vegetable compartment 6, so when the load in vegetable compartment 6 is large and the temperature rises, the temperature difference (air density difference) with freezer temperature compartment 7 increases, causing an active inflow of cold air. In other words, a self-adjusting function according to the load on vegetable compartment 6 works through air duct 25, and the cooling capacity inside vegetable compartment 6 can be adjusted without the need for power to blow air to the vegetable compartment. This results in a refrigerator with excellent energy-saving performance. In the refrigerator of this embodiment, air passage 25 is provided in heat-insulating partition wall 29. This eliminates the need for additional space for installing an air passage, resulting in a refrigerator with excellent space efficiency.

[0075] In addition, the refrigerator of this embodiment is provided with a vegetable compartment damper 19 in air passage 25. This allows control to narrow or close air passage 25, which prevents the vegetable compartment from being excessively cooled, particularly when the load on the vegetable compartment is small, resulting in a refrigerator with excellent energy-saving performance.

[0076] The above is an example showing the present embodiment. Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned example, and includes various modified examples. For example, the above-mentioned example has been described in detail to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and is not necessarily limited to having all of the configurations described. Also, it is possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configuration of the example with other configurations. [Explanation of symbols]

[0077] 1. Refrigerator 2 Refrigeration compartment (first refrigeration temperature zone compartment) 2a,2b Refrigerator door 3 Ice Room 4. Upper freezer 5 Lower freezer 3a, 4a, 5a Freezer door 6 Vegetable compartment (second refrigerated temperature compartment) 6a Vegetable compartment door 7. Freezing temperature room (general term for 3, 4, and 5) 8a Refrigerating evaporator compartment (first evaporator storage compartment) 8b Refrigeration evaporator chamber (second evaporator storage chamber) 9a Refrigeration fan (first blower) 9b Refrigeration fan (second blower) 10 Insulated box 10a Outer box 10b Inner box 11 Refrigerator ventilation duct (first ventilation route) 11a Refrigerator outlet 12 Freezer ventilation duct (second ventilation path) 12a Freezer compartment outlet 13 Vegetable compartment ventilation duct (third ventilation path) 13a Vegetable compartment outlet 14a Refrigeration evaporator (first evaporator) 14b Refrigeration evaporator (second evaporator) 15a,b Refrigerator return port 16 Hinge cover 17 Freezer return port 18 Vegetable compartment return air duct 18a Vegetable compartment return opening 19 Vegetable compartment damper 20 Freezer damper 21 Defrost heater 22a,22b Drain port 23a, 23b Gutter 24 Compressor 25 Wind path 26 External fan 27a Refrigeration drainage pipe 27b Refrigeration drain pipe 28, 29, 30 Insulated partition wall 31 Control Board 32 Evaporation dish 35 Child Room 39 Machine room 40a Refrigeration evaporator temperature sensor 40b Refrigeration evaporator temperature sensor 41 Refrigerator temperature sensor 42 Freezer temperature sensor 43 Vegetable compartment temperature sensor 50a,50b Heat sink (heat radiation means) 51 Condensation suppression pipe (heat dissipation means) 52 Three-way valve (refrigerant control means) 53a Refrigerating capillary tube (pressure reducing means) 53b Refrigeration capillary tube (pressure reducing means) 54b Refrigeration gas-liquid separator 54b Refrigeration gas-liquid separator 55a,55b Heat exchange section 56 Check valve 101 Hibe heater 102 Upper drain pipe heater 103 Drain pipe lower heater

Claims

1. A storage room in a refrigerated temperature range; a first air passage that communicates the storage chamber with a storage chamber that houses a cooler that cools the storage chamber, and allows cool air from the storage chamber to flow into the storage chamber, and that runs from a lower surface of a first heat-insulating partition wall that forms an upper surface of the storage chamber to the storage chamber in an upward or horizontal direction while passing through an inside of the first heat-insulating partition wall; a defrost heater located in the lower part of the inside of the storage chamber and entirely located above a return port of the first air passage that opens into the storage chamber; A refrigerator characterized by:

2. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, The refrigerator further includes a discharge port that discharges the cold air generated by the cooler into the storage chamber and is disposed to the side of the defrost heater and the return port when viewed from the front of the refrigerator. A refrigerator characterized by:

3. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, a second air passage that communicates the storage chamber with the storage chamber, flows the cold air generated by the cooler into the storage chamber, and passes through a second heat-insulating partition wall and extends in a vertical direction; a means for controlling an amount of air blown into the storage chamber, the means being provided in the vicinity of a lower end of the second air passage; A freezing temperature storage chamber is disposed on the side of the second air passage. A refrigerator characterized by:

4. 4. The refrigerator according to claim 3, The means is disposed inside the second insulating partition wall. A refrigerator characterized by:

5. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, a bottle storage space for storing a beverage bottle is provided inside a container disposed inside the storage chamber; The inlet of the first air passage is disposed above the bottle storage space. A refrigerator characterized by:

Images